Clutch-lever holder



Oct. 13, 1925. 1,557,134

l G. J. BARTHEL CLUTCH LEVER HOLDER Filed April 18, 1925 fw' 10m/Ton.

Patented Oct. 13, 19254.

PATENT oFFicE.

GEEGOE J. BARTHEL, or ALBERTVILLE, ivrnvrTEsotiJA.

CLUTCH-LEVER HOLDER.

Application mea April 1s, 1925. serial No. 24,117.

T o all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, GREGoR J. BARTHEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albertville, in the county of Wright and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch- Lever Holders, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to a clutch lever holding device and is particularly adaptable for use on the so-called Fordson tractors. The object is to provide a simple, elicient and reliable holding device mounted and operated in such a manner as to engage and hold the foot operated clutch lever in a certain position and may readily be made inoperative when it is desired to restore the clutch lever to its original position.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a right side elevation of the rear part of a tractor of the Fordson type and my device in operative position, the'right hand rear wheel of the tractor being omitted.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail top view about as on line 2-2 in Fig. 1 showing mainly my device in operative position.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals 5 designates the transmission housing and rear wheel driving mechanism in- ,closure of a tractor of the type known as the Fordson. tractor, 6 is the drivers seat suitably mounted above the rear axle, 7 is the left hand rear supporting and traction wheel. 8 is the clutch foot lever oscillable in and protruding from the transmission housing as at 9, thence rearwardly and thence outwardly horizontally as at 8l to form a foot engaging part 8b.

Under normal driving conditions when the tractor is in motion and the speed regulating lever 10 has been properly set the clutch lever is in the position 8X shown ldotted in Fig. 1. Power is then transmitted directly from the engine (not shown) through the transmission and thence to the rear axle.

12 is a shaft on which is mounted a pulley 15 rotated by suitable gears in the transmission housing, said `shaft rotated in a bearing casting 13 suitably bolted as at 14 to the side of the housing 5.

My device comprises preferably an upwardly opening channel shaped member 16 secured preferably by two of the upper bolts 14, as 14*L and 141, in Fig. 1 and eX- tending rearwardly therefrom. In the rear end of said member I provide a transverse pivot pin 17 on which is pvotally secured a tilting member 18 the front end of which normally lies in the channel 16 and the rear end is preferably reduced to a round bar bent into the form of an upwardly opening hook 18a. This hook is located in such position that it is engaged by the clutch lever member 8b when the latter' is moved down by the foot of the tractor operator. movement causes the hook 18a to be tilted downwardly on pivot 17 about as to the position 18b in Fig. 1, when member 8b will be automatically caught within the hook 18a (see full lines in Fig. 1) and the normal upward tendency of the clutch lever will cause better engagement of hook 18a and arm 18 will instantly fall back into the channel and bear against the bottom of it when the operator removes his foot from the lever member 8b. Thus the clutch lever is held in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, said position being known as neutral. In this position of the clutch lever there is no power transmitted to the rear aXle and the tractor thus being stationary the belt pulley may be used.

The clutch lever is readily disengaged by simply swinging hook 18a down while exerting a downward pressure on its horizontal arm 8b.

I claim- 1. In a tractor having a vertically oscillable clutch lever with a horizontal foot engaging part, a clutch lever holder comprising an elongated body member fixed in a plane parallel to the movement of said clutch lever, a rock lever pvotally secured in said elongated member, one part of said rock lever adapted to normally rest in said body member and a hook member in the other end of said lever adapted to engage and hold the clutch lever in a predetermined position, said hook portion of the rock lever comprising an upwardly opening hook arranged in the path of the horizontal foot engaging part of the tractor clutch lever to be tilted by the downwardly directed engagement of the latter until the said hook engages the said part of the clutch lever.

2. In a tractor having a verticall oscillable clutch lever with a horizontal oot engaging part, a clutch lever holder compris- Said in said elongated member, one part of said said rock lever is pvotally secured in the rock lever adapted to normally rest in Said end thereof nearest the free end of the body member and a hook member n the clutch lever and said rook lever forward of 10 other end of said lever ada-pliedv to engage its pvot COmpIySeS a bal adapted to nor- 5 and hold the clutch lever in a predetermined many lie Il Said Channel.

position, said elongated body member 'c on-` In testimlly WheleO I afX my Signature. sisting of an upwardly opening channel and GREGOR J. BARTHEL. 

